The Baseball Fanbook: Everything You Need to Know to Become a Hardball Know-It-All

Gramling offers a nostalgia-filled guide for baseball fans: the pages themselves are designed to look like those of a weathered and dog-eared almanac for devoted collectors of baseball cards, stats, and memorabilia. Chapters focus on topics such as record-breaking baseball players, obscure facts (“baseball’s first umpires wore coats with tails and top hats”), and skills to master, which include breaking in a baseball glove, sliding into base, and dressing up a hot dog with toppings. There’s a chapter on baseball lingo, one that compares today’s players to those from the past, and a section titled “Think like a Manager,” which provides an insider’s look at running a baseball team. Gramling offers an array of player stats, facts, and practical info, spiced up with humor and a big-hearted affection for the game. Ages 8–up. (Apr.)